Anathema
by NalSweetheart
Summary: 17 yr old Sakura is a tempered orphan whom people refuse to adopt because of her history of causing her adoptive parents' death. Her only choice is her dead mother's nephew, Uchiha Sasuke, a stoic lawyer who lives alone, who accepts to be her guardian. With time, Sasuke realizes that Sakura is more broken than she seems. And so begins their heartbreaking love story.
1. Prologue

**ANATHEMA: PROLOGUE**

I saw her, sitting on the edge of the school roof, and there was something very compelling about the way her hair, a unique peach colour, whipped about her shoulders. The wind was hard, and I had a fear that it would blow her away, like a delicate leaf on an autumn day.

_I could feel him staring, his eye burning into my back as the wind blew furiously around me. I knew who he was, and why he was here. And I hated it. It felt like there was hidden motif under it all, and it bothered me._

The principal had warned me she was haughty. Stoic, cold and rather rude for her age. But looking at her now, so vulnerable with only a step away from a deadly fall, she reminded me of a porcelain doll; pure, innocent and easily shattered.

_I looked down at the view, and the idea of falling thrilled me. To feel the wind, to be able to fly even if I was flying towards the ground. I wondered what would happen if I pushed myself off. Would I die? Injure myself? Never be able to walk again should I be alive? There was only one way to find out, but I hadn't the courage to try it. Gripping the corners of the edge, I willed myself to lean back to feel safer._

She certainly looked harsh. I could feel the rudeness and disrespect from here, and I knew that I wouldn't ever be able to see her smile. But that made me curious. I wanted to see her smile. Because even if we weren't related by blood, we were still family. As family I wanted to protect her. Help her. Keep her safe.

_**Haven't updated my other story in a while, I know, guys. But I will soon, since school has finally finished and exams are over and I now spend 24 hrs a day in my house. This story is just one that I had in my head. It isn't 100 percent planned out, but I know what I want to happen, so look forward to it **___


	2. Chapter One

**CHAPTER ONE**

* * *

**SASUKE**

* * *

It was a Sunday evening that I was spending with Naruto, Neji and Shikamaru at a cafe when I received the call. It was from a person called Nariya Akito, who claimed to be a social worker.

'I am very sorry for interrupting you, Mr Uchiha.' The person over the phone said apologetically.

'It is alright,' my voice was calm and levelled.

'I understand that you are very busy, and appreciate your time. It is about your aunt Kaoru, who has recently passed away.'

I sat up a little straighter. I hadn't heard a word about my aunt since I found out she had died seven months ago. 'Not at all. I am listening to what you have to say.'

'As you might have known, she and her husband had adopted a daughter seven years ago. Her name is Sakura, and since your aunt and uncle's passing, she has had no family to take care of her.'

'I heard. But I also heard that it was she who caused their deaths. What is it that you wanted to ask?'

There was a hesitant pause before the person continued, 'Sakura is yet again an orphan, and due to her age and her history, nobody accepts to adopt her. She is alone, and you are our only hope. Mr Uchiha, would you mind coming down to her school to see her? After all, she is your cousin.'

I leaned back in my seat, putting down the cup of coffee I had in my other hand. 'Of course. Is it that you wish I take her under my care?'

Another pause. 'If it isn't a trouble, sir. She is at a tender age, and needs family to support her. You are the only relative we could contact. Of course, the decision is yours, but I hope you will meet her first.'

I nodded. 'I understand. I will come down tomorrow. What is the name of the school?'

Taking note of the address on a piece of receipt I pulled out of my pocket, I thanked the social worker.

'I will let the principal know, and we will meet you at whatever time you are available tomorrow.' He said, sounding pleased.

Mentally going through my schedule for Monday, I said, 'I will be there at noon. However, it will have to be quick.'

'No worries at all, Mr Uchiha. I am very grateful you have agreed. Thank you very much, and have a good day.'

Returning the gesture, I put the cell phone down, and picked up my coffee to take a sip. 'Whose school are you visiting tomorrow?' Shikamaru asked casually, a familiar lazy look taking over his face.

'A cousin of mine. Her parents died recently, and she has no other relative,' I told him calmly. He looked puzzled. 'I never knew you had an aunt or uncle, let alone cousins.'

I nodded. 'My aunt Kaoru had run off with a man when she was a teenager, and I've only talked to her in phone calls. Her relationship with my mother wasn't all that great, so I never got to meet her.'

'Did she marry the man she ran off with?'

'Indeed. But she could not conceive, so they must have adopted a daughter. I must go see her tomorrow.'

Neji called a nearby waiter for the bill; however, his eyes remained on me. 'How did your aunt and uncle die?'

In all honesty, I'd rather they did not know, but Neji, Naruto and Shikamaru have been my friends since our college days, so trust was a key between us. 'No matter. Their house burnt down is all I heard.'

Nobody pushed the matter, or asked where my so called cousin was at the time. It might have been better that way.

* * *

**SAKURA**

'Sakura, do you understand?'

I did not respond to Akito Sensei's urges.

'Why? Why did you call him? A person I don't even know? I never even knew existed?' I could feel my temper begin to get out of hand, and struggled to stay still in my seat. The principal's office, despite being familiar with it, was a suffocating place for me. The walls were grey, the ceiling sullen. I always hated it in here, especially on Monday mornings.

'Sakura, you just turned seventeen, and you need a guardian. This person is family; he might be willing to take care of you.' Akito said pleadingly. Despite his old age, Akito was a soft-hearted man who couldn't seem to understand that I did not want his help no matter what attitude I gave him.

Principal Sato sat passively at his desk, watching me with his hawk eyes. 'Sakura, when you see him today, be nice and polite. Do not be rude or say anything disrespectful. He will be here around noon, and you will simply have a talk. Is that too hard?'

I never really did like this man. Everything seemed to be too easy for him. 'Yes sir,' I said through gritted teeth. I continued to listen to the two men talk about how important this meeting was, and the benefits I would receive if this supposed cousin of mine chose to be my guardian.

My adoptive mother had spoken of a nephew once, but I had never heard her speak of a sister or brother that could have been his father. Mother had never mentioned her family, and Father was a single child whose parents had died early. We had always been alone, us three. Until the fire.

Finally excusing myself, I walked through the corridors and climbed the stairs that led to the school building rooftop.

* * *

_**Yes, I know, very short, but this stuff takes time. I promise as the story goes on, the chapters will be longer **_


	3. Chapter Two

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO**

* * *

**SASUKE**

* * *

I arrived at Konoha Grammar School the following day near noon. It had a new building and it was clearly private, which did not surprise me in the least. Although my mother's family were not rich, I knew for a fact that Aunt Kaoru had been a doctor, the husband she ran off with, a dentist. It was only natural they would send their daughter to a private school.

Entering through the gates, I stepped into the main building and manoeuvred my way through several corridors to find the main office. A middle aged woman sat inside, looking at her computer intently. Once she saw me, she looked up and removed her glasses.

'I'm here to see Principal Sato,' I told her.

'Do you have an appointment, Sir?' she asked him calmly.

'No, but I was asked to come in.'

'Your name?'

'Uchiha Sasuke.'

'One moment, Sir,' she stood from her seat and went to the back of the office, where two other doors were, labelled 'Principal' and 'Vice Principal.' Knocking and entering the former, I heard her let the principal know that I was here.

'Let him in,' I heard the man say.

'You may come in, Sir,' the woman turned to me, opening the door to the office. Reaching the principal's room, I stepped in. The principal must have been in his late forties, with a bald head and bright eyes that watched too closely.

'Good morning, Mr Uchiha. Do come in,' he gestured to the seat in front of his desk. I nodded and obeyed, sitting down and meeting the man's gaze.

'Unfortunately Mr Akito could not join us today, for work matters. But no worries, Sakura is at school today and has been informed of your visit.' He began.

When I did not respond, he continued, 'Before you meet her, Mr Uchiha, I must warn you she is no normal girl. She is unbecomingly rude and has little matters, so do please try not to take it personally.'

I nodded. 'I'll keep it in mind.'

Principal Sato stood up and told me to follow him. We left the office, and he led me up several flights of stairs, passing through corridors and classrooms.

'She has a tendency not go to class when she is angered, but the school counsellor says it is better to let her clear her head on her own. She says Sakura may have has post-traumatic stress and it is not good to keep her where she does not want to be.'

'You let her not attend her classes? Is that not rather unprofessional, Principal Sato?' I inquired somewhat boldly, but the man did not seem to mind as he led me up a final flight of stairs until we reached a small landing.

'Not for long. It is best to leave her to her own devices until we find her a new home, but she is not permitted to leave school grounds, and she is constantly monitored on the cameras, so we have her under control.' Eyeing the door that must have led to what could only be the roof, he said, 'She will be up here, as per usual. It is best to ask her to come down to the office for you to converse, but if you are comfortable up here, it is fine.'

I nodded. 'I see.'

'I will return to the office, you may come down whenever you have finished. Sakura does not seem to like having me around so it is only better for you if I am not here.'

Thanking him, I opened the door to the roof, the cold air hitting my skin. Offering one last nod to the principal, I closed the door behind me and looked around. There was only one person up here on this large expanse, sitting on the edge of the roof, leaning back on her hands.

Her hair, a shockingly vibrant peach pink, was loose and it whipped around her shoulders in the wind. She must have noticed my presence because she stiffened noticeably.

I took a few steps closer, until there were two meters between us, but she made no effort to stand up and step away from the ledge, and I had a fleeting thought that she planned to jump as she leaned forward, looking down at the ground below.

I did not say a word, because if there was one thing I learn from years of experience with interacting with my clients, it was that you should always let the person across you have the first say if you are to converse. I stood there for several minutes, just watching her, her shoulder length hair flying in the breeze, until she finally reached around and tied her strands into a small ponytail with a hair tie.

'Are you Uchiha Sasuke?' her voice was not what I expected. It was not soft, but it was feminine, her tone cool and flat. There was no emotion, no curiosity.

'I am. You must be Haruno Sakura.'

'I am.' She answered simply. 'We're relatives, right?'

'We are. Our mothers were sisters,' I responded passively.

'Were?' she questioned. 'My mother's dead, is yours too?' Her questions were simple, as though to hold a chat, just to fill the silence.

'She died four years ago in a car accident.'

'Your dad?'

'He died then too.'

'Pity.'

She was a fearless one for sure. Nobody directly asked my questions about my parents once they found out they were dead, and if they did, they surely offered their condolences.

I wondered whether I should sit beside her on the ledge, but I decided against it. Edges were unsafe, unprotected. Dangerous.

'Why don't you come this way?' I suggested calmly.

She scoffed. 'Scared of heights, are you?' But she stood nevertheless and stepped away, and turned to face me for the first time. Her eyes were a stunning emerald shade that I'd never come across, and they shone with depth. But her stare was dead. Like there was hollowness in her soul. She was pale, had thin lips, and one would say her forehead was too big, but her fringe that was pushed to the side hid it. I imagined that her face was made for laughing and smiling, and I could swear that if she did, the dimple in her left cheek would be much more prominent, but now, her gaze was stony, face emotionlessly calm.

She examined me, gaze flitting over my form. 'Are you a businessman?' she asked, eyeing my black suit.

'Public defender,' I said curtly.

'Is that supposed to be a lawyer?'

She must have taken my lack of response as a yes. 'How old are you?'

'Twenty-five.'

'You look thirty,' she said bluntly. I resisted a smirk. She sure was rude. If I looked thirty to her, I absentmindedly wondered how old she would think Itachi was who was turning thirty this year. Thoughts of my brother made my mood sour though, and I did not want to be sour with this girl.

She looked stoic and rude and unnaturally lifeless, but she reminded me of a black swan as she walked towards me. Dark and graceful, murky yet beautiful. Did my aunt really adopt this girl? Who looked like a walking corpse?

'I suppose you know why I'm here.' I said.

She didn't reply, waiting for me to continue. 'Do you mind? Whether or not I choose to be your guardian?'

'I have a deal with Akito Sensei,' she answered, 'that until I'm eighteen, I'll stay with whoever would have me, and then I'll leave. He has the keys to my parents' house, and he'll let me have it once I'm of age.'

'Is that right.'

'I'll be turning eighteen in eight months, so I'm okay with whatever happens until then. After that, I'm out of here. This school, this place. So in short, no, I don't mind. Nor do I care.' With that, she walked passed me and I heard the door to the roof open and close, and then I was alone.

She was nothing like I'd expected, in all honesty. Was I really willing to take care of her? Could I? The image of the hollowness in her eyes flittered through my head, and this urge to get rid of it plagued my mind.

_Why not? For Aunt Kaoru who I've never met. For Mother. For Father._

After several minutes of contemplation, I turned to the door, entering the building and making my way down the flights of stairs, taking all the turns in the corridors to where I remembered the main office to be. When I found it, I got permission to enter the principal's room.

'How did it go?' Principal Sato asked, eyes betraying his curiosity.

'Tell Mr Akito to give me a call. I'll be her guardian.'

A look of relief passed over the older man's face. 'I see.'

'I must leave now, for I have a client to meet at two, but do let Mr Akito know that I agree to his offer. I'll take care of Haruno Sakura.'

'Mr Uchiha, it is not that I disagree with your decision, but think it through carefully. Sakura is a very difficult girl. For her age, she is...broken. She's been through much trauma and you cannot fix her.'

If any doubt clouded my mind, I pushed it aside. 'I don't want to fix her. I'll simply take care of her.'

_I want to protect her._

* * *

Excusing myself, I left the office, and walking down the corridors to the exit. But before I could find it, a racket from around the corner took my attention. Looking around, I was surprised to see Sakura near a row of lockers. But it was who she was with that was more unexpected. Several girls surrounded her, holding books away from her. From the way Sakura was watching them, I suspected they were hers.

'Are these new books, Haruno?' One sneered, looking at the cover of one. 'Already? What are you, a nerd?'

'Better than being a slut, in my opinion,' Sakura said passively, and a flash of anger appeared in the girl's face, and she lifted her hand, but before she could do anything, I hit against the locker beside me, the sound echoing in the empty corridor.

The girls looked up at the noise, spotting me.

Although I didn't say a word, I must have intimidated them because they glared at Sakura, dropped the books and walked away, turning a corner into another corridor. Wordlessly, Sakura dropped to her knees and picked up the fallen novels.

'You didn't strike me as a bookworm,' I stated as she turned and unlocked the locker behind her, putting the books inside.

'Being smarter than everyone else makes me feel superior to them. But at times, the air of stupidity in this place is suffocating.' She said.

I smirked. 'Then I think we'll get along quite well.'

She froze, not meeting my gaze, looking at something in her locker that I couldn't see. Was she shocked? That I'd decided to be her guardian?

'Not very modest, are you?' She commented.

'We aren't too different in that aspect, Haruno Sakura.'

She didn't reply, and we stood in silence for a moment. 'I'll see you soon, Haruno.'

Not waiting for a response, I made my way to the building exit and once I reached the car park and was seated in my car, I let the doubt settle in.

_She is...broken...you cannot fix her. _

Principal Sato's words rang loudly in my head.

_That's alright, _I thought to myself. _I don't need to fix her. Just take care of her. For my family._

* * *

**SAKURA**

* * *

There was something about his eyes that stunned me. They were onyx black, and it wasn't as though I'd never seen such dark eyes before. My mother had the very same ones, and I could see how she was related to Uchiha Sasuke. But despite the similarity, there was a depth in his that matched no other. It betrayed no emotion, yet I felt like they were relaying so much. Like they were endless pits of darkness that I could fall into forever and never realize I was falling.

I was surprised when he hinted that he'd decided to take care of me. Because he'd never really met my mother, and from what I know, my mother had run away when she was younger and barely kept in contact with her sister. I never imagined he'd agree to be a guardian to a relative he's never met, much less an adopted one he has no blood relation to. What game was he playing at?

Certainly not one that would last for long. I intended to leave this wretched place the moment I turn eighteen. And nobody, not even a public defender by the name of Uchiha Sasuke, could stop me.

* * *

_**So after a LONG time I've finally updated. I'm feeling pretty optimistic about this story, to be **__**honest, and I'm looking forward to writing more. Sadly I couldn't update any faster cos we were on a holiday and my mum didn't let me take my laptop, so there was no way I could write anything for ages.**_

_**But I'm back now and feeling great about this story, my other one, Sad Fate's Design, and another one I have that I'm going to start soon about the Shingeki No Kyojin fandom.**_

_**Hope the chapter was alright. It's not thoroughly edited, so sorry; I'm hoping to find a beta soon for it. **_

_**Again, I know the chapter isn't long enough, but I swear that's going to change. If I put too much material into one chapter it would just evolve too quickly.**_

_**Love to hear your thoughts!**_


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